Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

" Credibility is the most timely and important issue of our age. And with this book, based on a solid foundation of research plus their years of experience, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have thrown us a Hail Mary pass that can help to restore confidence and trust in our institutions. I am personally grateful to receive their pass. I bet that you will be too." — Warren Bennis , Distinguished Professor of Business, University of Southern California; author, Still Surprised: A Memoir of a Life in Leadership "My first suggestion on how to build your credibility: read this book and apply what you learn! Nothing is more important to a leader than credibility. Jim and Barry do a wonderful job of showing us all why it matters, how to earn it, and how to keep it! Another amazing contribution from the world′s authorities on leadership!" — Marshall Goldsmith , author, MOJO and What Got You Here Won′t Get You There " Credibility should be on the must–read list for all leaders and potential leaders, and should be a required text for all business majors. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner clearly outline the values and traits of credible leaders, and they both confirm and support the theory that we all want to work for ′credible′ leaders. It is a fantastic read for all of us who aspire to be the leader that others want to follow." — Ann Rhoades , author, Built on Values ; president and founder, People Ink "Over the past twenty–five years, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have built—no exaggeration—the most significant body of leadership work on the planet. Credibility is a masterpiece because it accomplishes the seemingly impossible: it boils the vast, often–complicated and confusing act of leadership down to its purest essence and then teaches us how to put it into practice in all aspects of our lives. Simply put, this book will not only inspire you to make a difference, it will help you do it." — Steve Farber , author, The Radical Leap Re–Energized and Greater Than Yourself ; president, Extreme Leadership, Inc. "When I graduated from business school back in the early 1980s, I thought I had to be a ′superhuman′ if I were to ever be a CEO some day. After two dozen years of being a CEO, I now know that it′s not about being superhuman; it′s instead about being a super human. If there′s one leadership book that is the operating manual for how to be a super leader and a super human at the same time, it is Credibility. Loved every word of it!" — Chip Conley , founder and executive chairman, Joie de Vivre; author, PEAK and Emotional Equations

INTRODUCTION On Credibility and the Restoration of Trust and Confidence xi 1 Leadership Is a Relationship 1 2 Credibility Makes a Difference 22 3 Discover Your Self 42 4 Appreciate Constituents 62 5 Affirm Shared Values 84 6 Develop Capacity 111 7 Serve a Purpose 132 8 Sustain Hope 153 9 The Struggle to Be Human 174 EPILOGUE Character Counts 201 Notes 203 Acknowledgments 229 About the Authors 233 Index 237

James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner are the coauthors of the classic bestselling books The Leadership Challenge , The Truth About Leadership , A Leader′s Legacy, Encouraging the Heart , and over a dozen other books and workbooks on leadership. They also developed the highly–acclaimed Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), a 360–degree assessment tool based on The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. Jim is the Dean′s Executive Fellow of Leadership and Barry is Professor of Leadership at Santa Clara University′s Leavey School of Business. They are among the world′s most trusted and influential scholars on leadership. For more information, please visit www.credibility–book.com